Mass Effect: Invictus
by The Outlander
Summary: With Commander Shepard killed in action, it's up to Ryan Zamora to protect humanity. Threats old and new lurk around the corner; the slightest mistake will mean open war or outright eradication. Features OC and established ME characters. Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1- Death of the Shepard

_**Ryan's Apartment, Bachjret Ward, the Citadel**_

Ryan Zamora loved coming home to his apartment. When the door slid shut behind him, he felt like a weight was dropped off his shoulders. Closed off from the outside world, he finally could relax again. The familiarity of the surroundings made all the stress go away. Being an Alliance officer meant shore leave was rare and precious. His last assignment on Elysium had been extremely frustrating; many of the colonists still lived in fear of another Skyllian Blitz happening, so they were prone to panic and paranoia. Ryan had spent most of his time chasing false leads about another pirate attack, but all of those were byproducts of some or other overstressed colonist's fantasy. All in all, it was an assignment unworthy of an N7 Operative. He much preferred the time he spent on Eden Prime before the geth attack, leading the 2nd Frontier Division.

With a deep sigh, Ryan Zamora swung his bag into the living room. His apartment was a simple place, yet had all the comforts an Alliance lieutenant could need. A big vid screen placed against the naked maroon walls, a comfortable black leather sofa, and a small kitchen with a steel square dinner table. The only things that decorated his walls were a picture of himself at his graduation from the Villa, his diploma from the Astrodome Military School and a picture of him and his sister Lilith on Arcturus Station, taken when they were kids. However, his bedroom was the place he longed to see most right now. The cab ride home took forever because of the leftover carnage from the geth assault. A bed with a soft pillow and sheets was a tempting prospect right now, but as a biotic adept he had to keep his calorie levels up. Requiring nearly twice the caloric intake of a regular human was irritating, but it was a small price to pay for manipulating dark energy with his mind.

Opening his fridge, he was pleased to see that his housekeeper had stocked it well with lean meat, protein bars, fish, energy drinks, juice, fruit, peanut butter, avocados, and bread. _That should keep me going for a day or two._ He was in the middle of slurping on a juice box and baking a lamb loin when his omni-tool started flickering. With a slight touch of his right index-finger he activated the call. He was pleasantly surprised to see Lilith's face pop up on the small vid screen. His little sister's innocent brown eyes stared at him; her mouth slightly open, as if she was in shock.

"Did you hear?" she asked in her typical calm demeanor. Yet her soft voice trembled slightly with every word she spoke, as if something terrible had happened.

"Oh, I'm doing great, thanks very much," Ryan answered over the sizzling olive oil.

"Not now, Ryan," she replied, shaking her head slightly. "Just… just turn on your vid screen, you'll see." Lilith disconnected immediately, leaving Ryan alone with his thoughts.

"Yes, Elysium was great," he continued, talking to no one in particular while he scooped his meat into a plate and walked over to his couch. "I had the time of my life, thanks for asking. Your sisterly concern is really touching." He shook his head sideways. _Unbelievable. I didn't talk to her for nearly a month__and this is how she welcomes me back on the Citadel?_

Annoyed, he still did what Lily told him to do. Plate on his lap, he sat himself down in the couch and took a big bite of his dinner before turning on the vid screen with his omni-tool. He immediately noticed that the usual broadcast of the elcor sitcom _Pheromones_ was replaced by an emergency news report.

"-inform you that the first human Spectre and hero of the Citadel John Shepard has been declared 'killed in action' by Alliance Officials." Ryan stopped chewing immediately and turned up the volume. "Shepard, a commander of the Systems Alliance," the salarian news reporter continued in her rapid way of speech, "was attacked by unknown assailants. His ship, the _Normandy_ SR-1, was destroyed during the attack."

"Holy shit," Ryan responded, swallowing his lamb and putting his plate to the side. He had lost his appetite all of a sudden. _The _Normandy_ got destroyed? I hope Ashley is all right._

He had known Gunnery Chief Williams while they were stationed on Eden Prime. She was a good friend. No, she was more than just a friend. At least, he considered her as such. Because of the Alliance regs they had never quite gotten involved with each other, but it was close. If he hadn't been pulled out of the colony days before the geth attack, he would probably have been caught up in the entire fiasco as well.

"19 other crew members are still missing as of now. However, the pilot survived the assault as well as Urdnot Wrex, Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Liara T'Soni and Ashley Williams. "

_So Ashley's alive. Good. I should call her when she gets back._

The news reporter kept on droning information about Shepard's accomplishments. "Commander Shepard first rose to prominence when he fought in the Skyllian Blitz on Elysium in 2176. When enemy forces broke through the colony's defenses, the Commander single-handedly-…" Ryan turned off the vid screen. He had heard enough.

"Seems like even _gods_ can die." People looked at Shepard as if he was their messiah. Humanity's avatar. Strangely, he couldn't resist the urge to smirk. Granted, it was a big blow to humanity. Shepard was the hero of the Blitz, savior of the Citadel and the first human Spectre. But for all his accomplishments, Ryan was certain that Shepard wasn't any deadlier or more skilled than him. Shepard wasn't a biotic, not even a tech specialist. He was great with an assault rifle in his hands, sure, but Ryan was a biotic. He could put him in a stasis field and shoot a bullet through his head. Or cause a biotic explosion by warping him at a molecular level and release a biotic throw. There were a thousand ways to kill a man. Biotics are poetry in combat. Bullets are boring.

If anything, he was annoyed by the fuss that was being made about Shepard's death. Marines died every day, it was part of the job. The only thing that made Shepard special was luck. Being in the right place at the right time.

Had Ryan not been pulled from Eden Prime, he could just as easily have saved the colony and proven Saren Arterius had gone rogue. Instead it had been Shepard, who was instantly lauded everywhere he went. The Alliance gave him a ship and a crew. The Council gave him a blow-shit-up-and-get-away-with-it card. _I could've done the same. Maybe even better._

Shaking off those unpleasant thoughts, Ryan finished his lunch and went to bed. He dreamt about being on an exploding ship and being blasted into space, desperately trying to suck in air in the cold vacuum while the universe around him faded.

Ryan woke up covered in cold sweat, his omni-tool beeping loudly. Grateful for being woken from his horrible nightmare, he answered the call. His heart raced so he took a deep breath to steady himself. He initially thought it was Lilith wanting to apologize for their brief exchange, but it was someone else entirely.

"Ryan," the distinct familiar gruff voice on the other end of the line greeted him. It was no vid call, but Ryan knew it well enough to recognize it.

"Admiral?" Ryan answered in a questioning tone. He straightened himself right away, a soldier's reflex of standing at attention while addressing a superior officer. It was unusual for Admiral Hackett to call him on his private line. Ryan had served as Hackett's personal assistant a couple of years ago, although the term 'bodyguard' was more fitting. Hackett was one of the Alliance's most high-ranking officers, and his personal protection was always entrusted to an N7. Ryan had saved the man's life on numerous occasions, which helped strengthen their mutual respect.

"I need to see you," the Admiral rasped.

"Yes, sir. I will come to Arct…"

"Not Arcturus Station," Hackett interrupted him. "The Citadel. Docking Bay D-22, 1200 hours. Be there. I'll brief you as soon as you arrive."

"Yes, sir."

Ryan's omni-tool faded as the call ended. "Strange," he muttered, wondering if it had anything to do with Shepard's death. He got up, ruffling his scruffy dark blond hair and stroking his three-day beard. He couldn't meet the Admiral like this.

Ryan was about to step into the shower when he heard the doorbell. Cursing heavily, he stepped out of the small cabin and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"_It's Lily_," he heard through the intercom. She impatiently pressed the bell a couple more times before Ryan finally hit the orange holo-lock-to let her in. "Is that how you open the door to all the ladies?" Lily asked, eyeing him from top to bottom. He was used to girls checking him out like that. Family or not, no woman could resist taking a look at his sculpted physique.

"I was taking a shower. Or I was about to before you showed up. What can I help you with?" He tightened the knot in his towel as he spoke. Not that he cared much about any exposure, it was his sister after all.

"I assume you heard the news?" she continued, walking further into the apartment without an invitation. She stopped in the living room and turned to face her brother. Her dark hair waved about during the motion, almost like a model on the catwalk.

"I did," he replied.

"That's… all you've got to say on the subject?" Lily went over to the fridge and took a deep sigh. "God, don't you have anything nice?" she said to herself before grabbing an orange juice box. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Soldiers die every day," he stated, repeating his thoughts from yesterday. "Don't see what all the fuss is about."

"Of course not," Lily grinned before taking a slurp and sitting herself down on the couch. "You've always been jealous of Shepard."

"Not true."

"Is," Lily giggled, sticking her tongue out. Ryan couldn't much appreciate her joking around, though.

"Not."

"Is!"

"Not!" Ryan pressed his finger down in the air so heavily his towel fell off, revealing everything. Cursing even louder than before, he picked it up off the floor and wrapped it around him again. Lily giggled.

"Don't be ashamed, Ryan. I've seen you naked hundreds of times. Be assured that nothing of interest lies underneath."

"I guess not. I know the types you like to hang around with," he jabbed. Lily's grin faded instantly and she went back to her juice box, averting her eyes. Ryan almost felt a pang of guilt. Maybe his last remark had hit a bit too close to home. "Look, not that I don't appreciate the social call, but I gotta clean myself up. Hackett summoned me."

"Admiral Hackett? What does he want?" she asked, looking back at her brother.

"No idea. He kept me in the dark." Ryan didn't like that, but he was enough of a military man to understand the need for secrecy. Information usually came on a need-to-know basis and it wasn't Ryan's place to question his superiors.

"Does he know you're on shore leave?"

"I would guess so."

"Strange. Well, you'll find out soon enough." The conversation slowly died down and Lily anxiously started flapping the wings of the juice box around. She hated silences. "By the way, how was Elysium?" she started, desperate to keep the conversation going.

"Boring. Frustrating. Not challenging. How about you?" Ryan asked in turn.

"Same. Though I'm more fond of peace and quiet than you are," she said. "Luckily, there's plenty of both on Horizon. Waste of resources if you ask me, the people there don't even like the Alliance."

"They don't like people protecting their freedom?"

"They don't like people sticking their nose in their business, telling them what to do. Would you like that?"

"If it meant safety, yes," Ryan nodded

"Bullshit. You'd hate it, just like they do."

"Why do you even ask if you already know the answer?" Ryan sighed, getting annoyed.

"It's called a rhetorical question." Lily took a last slurp and folded up the juice box nicely. She created a little blue sphere around it, biotically lifting it to the kitchen before dumping it in the trash can. Like Ryan, Lilith was a biotic as well, though she had never been quite as powerful as her brother.

"Still," Lily continued, "you'd think a first lieutenant would get more exciting things to do than telling colonists everything will be fine. I guess we should be grateful for it, though. Fewer bullets flying around means fewer casualties."

"Unless the Marine is really good at his job. Look, Lily, no offense, but I really have to hurry or I'll be late for Hackett," Ryan urged, jutting a thumb towards the bathroom behind him.

"Got it," she said, getting the hint. She got up from the couch and gave Ryan a small hug. Ryan awkwardly held on to his towel to make sure it didn't fall off again. "It's good seeing you again, bro. You should come over to my place for dinner, tonight."

"Great. I'll call you."

The moment she was gone, Ryan hopped into the shower. The hot water cleared his head. He shaved, put on his Alliance blues and went to see Admiral Hackett with a million questions buzzing through his head.

**A/N: Many thanks to you, the reader, for getting started on what will hopefully become an epic journey. And gratitude to Osage, for doing a phenomenal job beta-reading this story, as well as keeping my morale up! I probably couldn't do this without her support.**


	2. Chapter 2 - The SSV Passchendaele

_**Alliance Docking Bay D-22, the Citadel**_

Ryan brushed a speck of dust off his shoulder pad. He had to take 3 cabs only to end up in an elevator that seemed to be going forever. The annoying jazz music emanating from the speakers didn't exactly help his mood. He was sure Admiral Hackett had his reasons for all this secrecy, but Ryan was anxious to find out what the old man was up to. Hypnotized by the numerous floors flashing past the windows, Ryan reverted to militaristic ease with his hands behind his back.

"Alliance Docking Bay D-22." A surge of relief washed over him when he finally heard the elevator's VI announce his arrival. The doors slid open, revealing what looked like a ghost town. A long abandoned corridor loomed before him, full of rubble and empty benches. There were still many places on the Citadel exactly like this, where the geth's destruction was still very much visible. In any case, not the place Ryan imagined meeting the Admiral of the Alliance Fifth Fleet. Feeling a hint of nervousness in the back of his mind, Ryan started tapping his right hip, missing the comforting weight of his Carnifex. He had left it at home. Not that he needed it, his biotics could protect him just as easily in the case of an emergency. But it was always assuring to have something to hold onto. Like when taking a piss.

His footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. "I'm surprised the lights aren't flickering about," Ryan mumbled grumpily. It would have made the scene eerily similar to one of those cheesy, gory horror vids they used to make on Earth back in the twentieth and early twenty-first century. The horror genre was dead these days. People simply weren't scared of anything anymore. Desensitized by centuries of media exposure and technological revolution, humanity's interest in genres such as science fiction and horror had faded.

Ryan's wandering mind snapped back to reality when the hallway opened up into a large area that led to several docking stations. The place immediately went from claustrophobic to spacey, giving plenty more room for an ambush of some sort, especially with the lack of any cover. He remained alert, clenching his fist in case his biotics had to intervene. It wasn't likely, but vigilance was never a bad thing.

No ship was currently docked here, making Ryan wonder what business the Admiral could possibly have in a place such as this. He was worried he might not even find his old mentor, but much to his relief he saw two unmistakable silhouettes standing in the far corner. Ryan walked over, coming to a halt when he was in arm's reach. Admiral Hackett's cold blue eyes looked him over and nodded approvingly when Ryan saluted.

"At ease, Ryan. Good to see you."

"And you, Admiral." Ryan relaxed and clasped his hands behind his back, just like Hackett liked to do. A tick he had undoubtedly picked up during the time they spent together. "Vice-admiral Klose," Ryan added as a manner of greeting, noticing Hackett's right-hand man had accompanied him here. Gunther Klose's large forehead shimmered in the lights of the docking bay, almost blinding Ryan as he politely nodded.

"Lieutenant-Commander Zamora. A pleasure, as always." He spoke with a hint of a German accent. Klose looked not a day younger than his 43 years. His hair was rapidly going grey, and large wrinkles crinkled his mouth as he spoke. A face hardened by a lifetime of servitude in the military. After Rear Admiral Kahoku's untimely demise, Klose had been promoted to Vice Admiral of the Alliance Fifth Fleet.

Admiral Hackett stroked his goatee and kept his right hand on his chin while crossing his arms. Ryan understood Hackett's body language all too well; this meant he was being sincere, yet deadly serious.

"I'm sorry about keeping you in the dark and dragging you all the way out here, Ryan," he rasped. "I know how much you appreciate being kept in the loop, but I had no choice."

"The secrecy was necessary," Klose agreed in his authoritative, deep voice. "You never know who's listening in."

"No need to apologize, sir," Ryan replied, although he appreciated the gesture. "But now I would like to know what's going on."

"Of course," Hackett nodded. "I assume you've heard about Shepard?"

_I knew it. It all comes back to him._ "I have, sir. A great loss for humanity." He didn't really mean it, but he suspected that was what they wanted to hear.

"And it couldn't have come at a worse time," Klose intervened. "Humanity is in danger, Ryan. Our position isn't as strong as we would like to think." Ryan knew what the Vice Admiral meant. In order to save the Citadel Council, the Alliance Fleets had taken heavy losses while facing Saren Arterius' enormous geth dreadnought. It had bought humanity respect, but at the cost of a lot of human lives. What Ryan did not understand however, was how that endangered the Alliance as a whole.

"We're not at war," Ryan remarked. "The geth have either retreated back beyond the Veil or are being slaughtered by the hundreds. We have a human councilor. How are we in danger?"

"Not the Alliance directly, but the colonists are," Hackett answered. "Humanity is much more than just the Alliance military, Ryan. Millions of people have searched the stars for a better home; many thought to have found it only to be met with a cruel fate."

"Like the Skyllian Blitz?" Ryan suggested carefully.

"Exactly like the Skyllian Blitz," Klose agreed. "And it's happening again. On a much smaller scale, but pirate raids and slavers are hitting human colonies much more frequently. We don't have the military might to stop all of them."

"How come I didn't hear about this in the news reports?" Ryan wondered. "Surely someone must've picked up what…"

"We didn't want to cause a panic," Hackett interrupted. "We are keeping this below the radar. Billions of credits have been invested in those colonies, the Alliance does not want to see them abandoned because of what might be a misplaced panic."

"Yet in the meantime, colonists are abducted," Ryan sighed, raising an eyebrow. "How many?"

"I won't lie to you. The situation's bad, Ryan," Hackett said, also sighing in return. "Almost a dozen colonies have been hit. Entire cities put in chains and to the torch."

"Let me guess… Batarians?" It felt like a prejudiced statement, but the batarians' reputation for slavery preceded them.

"Yes, we think so," the Admiral nodded. "The Alliance needs someone to investigate, Ryan. Urgently. We need you."

"I see." Ryan had a bad feeling. Not because of the mission, but because of what Klose said earlier about Commander John Shepard. "So that's what you meant by Shepard's death being inconvenient. He would have been the ideal man for the job."

"No one has ever doubted your abilities, Ryan," Hackett assured him, trying to soothe his protégé's temper. He knew him all too well. "Shepard simply had many resources he could use. The Normandy, Spectre status and a team. But we can give you one weapon that he never had and that is secrecy."

Ryan didn't know what to think. On one hand, he was proud that they would trust such an important mission to him. On the other, he knew that it was only because their top agent was no longer available. "Secrecy, great. Why?"

"Think about it," Hackett continued, his hands gesturing as he explained. "Raids on human colonies have happened before, but never in such an organized fashion. This doesn't seem like the work of mere pirates."

"The Hegemony?" Ryan guessed.

"That's what we want you to find out," Klose chimed in. "But you must not let it be known that you are doing so for the Alliance. This is a top secret mission, Ryan. If the Hegemony finds out we are investigating them this closely, they could use it as an excuse to go to war. Khar'Shan has been itching for a chance to challenge Earth and humanity's position in the galactic community."

"No species can afford an open war with the batarians," Hackett continued, "least of all humanity. Saving the Council and the Destiny Ascension cost us dearly."

"So what resources will be made available to me?" Ryan inquired. He knew he was never going to get all the things Shepard had received, but he couldn't do this without proper equipment and capable people.

"As I said before, we can give you secrecy. First of all, I am hereby officially promoting you to Captain."

"What?" Ryan rubbed his ear to make sure he heard it correctly. "Captain?"

"Yes. Congratulations, Ryan," Hackett said with a small nod of his head. "This is unceremonious, I know, but you've earned it. Officially you will receive an extended shore leave of a couple of months and additional training to prepare you for your new position. In reality however, we will give you a ship and a skeleton crew of Alliance volunteers. You can add to that crew as you see fit. For a mission such as this, you will need fighters. The best."

"Of the best," Ryan added. "I agree. Thanks, Admiral."

"Try to recruit outside of the Alliance as much as you can," Klose intervened. "The less Alliance, the better. Aliens, if need be. As long as they're reliable and can keep their mouth shut. We will trust your judgment."

"We're giving you the SSV Passchendaele," Hackett continued, showing Ryan a holographic image via omni-tool. It looked like an old standard frigate. "Nothing special, but she'll get the job done. She was heavily damaged in the battle for the Citadel. Used to belong to the Second Fleet. Now she's yours. Officially she was scrapped for parts, but we fixed her up for covert operations such as this one. It doesn't have stealth drives like the Normandy, but she'll get you home safe if you're careful."

"I… don't know what to say, Admiral. This is all a bit much," Ryan confessed. For the first time, a slight smile cracked on Hackett's face. He reassuringly put his hand on his protégé's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Ryan. You're the only one I trust enough who can get this done. You may not be a Spectre, but you're resourceful, powerful and strong-willed. You were trained for the military ever since you were a kid. If I were a batarian, I'd be crapping my pants right about now."

Ryan grinned. "Thank you, sir."

"We will contact you when we have a target you can hit," Klose said. "In the meantime we suggest you build up your squad, because even you can't do this alone."

"Report back here tomorrow at the same time," Hackett concluded. "The Passchendaele will be here, and the crew on board. Get to know them, as well as the ship."

"Aye aye, sir." Ryan saluted one last time. Hackett gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and walked off with his Vice Admiral in tow. Captain Zamora stayed behind, realizing that they probably should not be seen together.

Ryan felt butterflies in his stomach at the prospect of his dangerous mission and new rank. _I can't wait to tell Lily!_

XXX_XXX_XXX

_**Lilith Zamora's Apartment, Bachjret Ward, the Citadel**_

"Just a second," Lily's voice excitedly shouted through the intercom. She sure was taking her sweet time opening the door. That was typical of Lily. Undoubtedly she had planned the entire evening, even if there was only one guest. Such planning usually meant that she wasn't ready in time. Ryan didn't like being kept waiting, especially if an appointment was made. Besides, he had great news to share. No doubt Lily was going to go crazy.

Ryan admired his new captain's uniform. The navy blue coat was decorated with gold thread contouring the needlework. Even the buttons were golden. What he loved most about it were the shoulder pads, however. The extra stripes truly established his new rank and title. Ryan eyed them and smiled, brushing them off with the back of his hand.

Finally the door slid open and Lily greeted him with the widest of smiles. "Ryan, hi! Right on time."

"Yes, one of us had to be," Ryan dryly remarked.

"Oh don't be like that!" Lily smiled, not letting the jab ruin the mood. "It's your own fault in a way," she continued, letting Ryan in, "you eat as much as an elcor who just recovered from a week-long diarrhea attack. It took me hours to prepare! I got loads of good stuff though you'll see." She continued babbling while they walked into the living room. Lily's place was much nicer than Ryan's. A large vid screen hung on the far wall and everything seemed to be focused on giving the people in the room a great cinematic experience. A U-shaped sofa was placed in front of it with a low table filling up the empty space. Beneath the vid screen stood a low, broad closet in black painted wood. It was decorated with lots of LED-pictures of herself, their parents and a picture of Lily and Ryan on Arcturus Station, which also adorned Ryan's apartment wall. Lily's walls showed no signs of her own military career, even though she had quite a few achievements to be proud of. But instead of hanging up her own diplomas of Astrodome Military and the certificate that granted her the N1 designation, she opted for old paper posters of classic war movies. 'Full Metal Jacket', 'Apocalypse Now', 'The Longest Day', 'Major Alliance' and even some new ones of the recent hit movies 'First Contact' and 'Elysium Avenged'. Lily was a sucker for war stories, provided they weren't her own.

"…so then I said," Lily continued, who had not stopped talking since she opened the door, "that those shoes were really overpriced, considering I would only wear them a couple of times every other month." Ryan zoned out a while ago. He understood that his sister needed someone to vent to, but that didn't mean her banal problems actually interested him. "… far too conspicuous if you ask me, with those purple fringes. Makes you stand out, but not in a good way. So I told her I'd rather hang that dress up as a curtain than wear it." Lily sat down, for the first time actually getting a good look at her brother. As she did so, she raised her left eyebrow. "Speaking of which, Ryan, what _are_ you wearing?"

"Oh, you noticed?" Ryan sighed, trying to act casual.

"That is not your usual uniform."

"It is now," he smiled weakly, sitting himself down while helping himself to a cheese cube on a cocktail stick that was laid out on the table. "Hackett promoted me to captain."

Lily's eyes grew large. After a couple of seconds, her mouth opened and she let out a shriek of joy. Before Ryan knew it, she was sitting next to him, hugging him around the shoulder. He managed to deflect the cocktail stick from skewering his palate. "Ryan! That's wonderful news! Here I am talking about shoes and dresses and you just got promoted! Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I would have, had I managed to get a word in between." Ryan's tone was playful, but stern enough to let Lily know that she was being a blabbermouth again.

"Oh hush," Lily playfully reprimanded him. She got up and ran to the kitchen on her high heels with remarkable grace. "This calls for a celebration!" Ryan heard the tinkling of glasses and a bottle before Lily returned with proper champagne from France. The bottle probably cost more than a month's salary, but Lily opened it before Ryan could object.

"Drink up, Captain Zamora!" she shouted, handing him a glass. Ryan gladly obliged.

The champagne went in smoothly and after a while they found themselves at the dinner table. Lily had outdone herself with a true feast of roast wild boar with cider, juniper and sage. There was strong, blond Tripel beer from Western Europe to wash it all down. It was the best dinner Ryan had in months. The food and alcohol significantly improved the already pleasant mood. Ryan told his sister about the talk with Hackett earlier, minus some of the more classified details. He did reveal he was going on a very secret, dangerous mission on his own ship, with his own crew.

"So you get to hand-pick your own crew?" Lily inquired, taking a sip of beer.

"That's right," Ryan nodded. "Apart from the skeleton. They're volunteers Hackett chose for this mission. I will need fighters, though."

"Any ideas on where to start?" Lily played with the bit of meat stuck on her fork, smearing it in gravy as she waited for her brother's reply.

"None," Ryan confessed. "But I'm sure something or someone will come up soon."

"How about me?" she asked without the slightest hesitation. She put her fork down, looking Ryan straight in the eyes, putting him on the spot.

The newly-promoted captain looked at his sister intently. For the first time this evening, she was deadly serious. She took her glass and gulped it down, but never lost direct eye contact. "I don't know, Lilith," Ryan answered. "I… I just..."

"You never call me Lilith, except when you know what you're about to say is going to disappoint me." Her tone had gone from playful to serious to icy. _Damn women and their mood swings,_ Ryan thought, holding back a sigh. She was still staring at him like a cat at its prey and it was starting to become annoying.

"Look, you're my little sister, okay? It would be weird." Much to Ryan's surprise, Lily seemed upset by his words. She seemed deeply offended by the suggestion, jerking her head to the side and clacking her tongue. She stood up, wiped her mouth off with a linen napkin and threw it into her plate so forcefully the cutlery jingled like furious Christmas bells.

"This may come as a surprise to you, Ryan," she icily answered. "But I am a soldier too. That means I can follow orders. I may not be an N7 operative like you, and I may not have some of the best test results of all time at the Astrodome Military School, but I was trained to become a soldier. For all my life, that's what I've been. Just because I'm your sister that doesn't mean I will be an insubordinate, trying to undermine your authority!"

"Calm down, I didn't mean anything by it," Ryan replied, slightly raising his voice.

"You did. You believe I think this is all a joke. Like it would be a fun trip, like going on a holiday with my big brother. Well, I don't." She stood in front of her chair, slightly bent over, grasping the edges of the table so forcefully her knuckles turned white.

"Lilith, that's enough!" Ryan shouted, forcefully slamming his fist on the table. As if struck down by a bullet, Lily popped back into her chair again. Ryan took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. "Look, all I'm saying is that it would be difficult for me. 'Marines die every day' is a truth I have always lived by. If a soldier dies on the job, then that just means he did what he was hired to do, and that is protect others with his life. And I've never had trouble sending people to their deaths if it meant getting the job done." Ryan averted his eyes, looking at the living room through the open door. "But you? I could never send you to your death, Lily. The last bit of conscience I have left would destroy me. My hesitation or reluctance, call it whatever you want to call it… It could endanger the mission. Not just for you, but for me and everyone else."

An uneasy silence fell between the two of them. After about half a minute, she took her glass and in one large swig, drained it. She gently put it back down before looking at her brother. Her lips, which were usually full and luscious now resembled to pale slits pressed together.

"I think you should go," Lily softly said. Her voice shook quite a bit. Whether it was anger or sadness Ryan couldn't say.

"Lily, I just wanted…"

"Just go. Please," she interrupted. "You have no idea how much what you just said insulted me. You have stepped on my honor as a soldier, Ryan. Just… just go."

"Fine," Ryan sighed. _Women…_ He got up from his seat, leaving Lily by herself at the table. Before he walked out of the door, he turned around. "I'll call you tomorrow before I leave, yeah?"

"You do that." Her voice was soft, yet it trembled with restrained anger.

When Ryan slid the door shut and heard the holo-lock close, he swore he could hear glass shattering against the wall.

XXX_XXX_XXX

_**Alliance Docking Bay D-22, the Citadel**_

Yesterday's dinner with Lily had left a bad taste in Ryan's mouth. Not because of the food, which had been excellent, but because of the state Lily was in when he left. He and Lily rarely fought. In fact, it had been several years since their last one. Shore leave was usually too short to spend your time quarrelling. Not making up before a dangerous mission as the one he was about to face didn't seem right. As the elevator stopped, he vowed to call her and apologize.

The hallway leading to the docking bay seemed a lot livelier. There were a couple of keepers at work clearing some of the rubble. Most totally ignored him as he walked past, others slowly turned their heads for a split second before getting back to work. The general population knew next to nothing about these weird creatures, yet the Council seemed happy to let them go about their business. A mistake, according to Ryan. The keepers hid many secrets, withholding the council races from unlocking the full potential of the Citadel. But efforts to convince the Council to allow more in-depth keeper-scans or attempts to follow them to their lair into the core of the Citadel have proven futile in the past.

When the corridor ended, spilling out into the hangar beyond, Ryan noticed that there was a ship docked at the otherwise abandoned station. It was a standard frigate, painted ebony with horizontal stripe patterns of dark blue. Two old-fashioned rotatable turrets stuck out on either side of the ship's main cannon, able to give supporting fire in combat. At the front of the hull, two drone ships were busily spray-painting over the ship's name. Only the 'daele' was still visible.

_My ship._ Ryan always dreamt of being a captain. As a boy he used to play roleplaying games with the other children at the Astrodome Military, acting as if they had been hit by geth and the ship was going down. In all those years of being a captain in children's games, Ryan never once abandoned his ship. He wasn't about to break that streak.

The airlock hissed and Ryan saw the familiar face of his old mentor step through. Hackett approached and Ryan saluted instantly.

"At ease, Captain," Hackett said with a slight nod of the head. "Glad you're here on time."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, sir," he answered proudly.

A second person stepped through the airlock. Ryan thought it would be the Vice Admiral, but it was a woman. Ryan didn't pay her much attention as she was too far away to make out her features anyway.

"The paint job's just about finished," Hackett informed Ryan. "We had to spray-paint the letters. We don't want the batarians to look up the Passchendaele and see it's actually an Alliance frigate that was supposedly destroyed."

"Very true, sir. Is the crew inside?"

"Yes, for the most part," Hackett nodded. The woman behind him halted and saluted. For the first time Ryan took a good look at her. "Ryan, allow me to introduce you to your XO. I do believe you two have met."

_Lily?_ She looked nothing like she had the day before, in her Alliance blues. Combat boots instead of high heels, a tight jacket that pressed down her moderate chest instead of an open dress, a long ponytail that streamed down her back and no make-up whatsoever. Even in this unflattering outfit, she still looked like a natural beauty.

"At ease, Lieutenant," Hackett added. Lily relaxed and sternly looked at Ryan.

"How… Why…?" Ryan muttered at loss for words.

"I _volunteered_," Lily simply answered. "And the _admiral_ thought I would be the perfect woman for the job." Lily purposely stressed the word 'admiral', knowing fully well that Ryan would never go against the orders of Hackett.

"You two have a close relationship," Hackett agreed, "and I do believe you could use a familiar face on this mission, Ryan. When Lieutenant Zamora gave me a call last night I immediately agreed. I was surprised she knew about this mission to begin with, but I have a feeling you wouldn't have told her about it if you didn't want her to come."

"I…" Ryan began, but was immediately cut off by Hackett.

"That's settled then." Hackett rubbed his hands excitedly. "I shall leave you two to it. Lieutenant Zamora has been fully briefed, so I suggest you start by meeting the crew. Focus on building a team for now, Ryan. When I have intel of when and where the batarians will strike next, I will let you know immediately." Hackett saluted and Lily and Ryan promptly did the same.

"Yes, sir!" they said simultaneously.

Hackett walked off, leaving Lily and Ryan alone. When he was out of earshot, Lily started moving towards the airlock ahead of Ryan . "Shall we get to it, then? The crew is anxious to meet you."

Ryan didn't respond. He walked over to Lily, grabbed her by the arm and slammed her forcefully against the airlock's inner wall. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?" he shouted, pointing his right index finger at her while not letting go of her arm.

"Nothing but my duty," Lily calmly responded.

"You know how I feel about this!"

"You need me," she simply stated.

"Bullshit."

"It's true. Face it. You don't make friends easily, Ryan. You need someone who can put the crew at ease in moments of distress," she said, ever the pacifier. It did nothing to calm Ryan down, however, who continued to lecture her.

"A captain isn't a friend, he's a superior officer. And the crew needs to fall in line no matter what! You don't know the first thing about leadership, Lily."

"I know enough to realize that you would never ignore Hackett's orders. He made me XO. You're stuck with me, better get used to it." Her delivery was icy calm, which just upset Ryan more. She had him by the balls and there were few things Ryan hated more than that.

Ryan took a deep breath and let go of Lily's arm. She rubbed it with a painful grimace.

"I'm sorry about going behind your back, I know you hate that." She put her hand on her brother's shoulder. "But I need to do this."

"Why?" Ryan snarled. Lily gave him a small pinch in the right shoulder that almost magically eased a lot of his tension. Her tenderness made him feel a pang of regret for having treated her so violently. He didn't want to hurt her.

"You once said that you'd always protect me, no matter what. Right?"

"Yes.**"** Ryan nodded swiftly. "And I stand by that."

"I know. But I wanna be able to do the same."

"That's different, I'm your big brother." Ryan slouched, feeling defeated by her kind and gentle nature.

"You're my commanding officer," she corrected him. After a slight pause, she looked him deep in the eyes. "You're not the only one who made promises to dad when he died, remember?"

Ryan avoided her look. "I do," he murmured. He kept quiet for a couple of seconds, then straightened his back. "All right, Lieutenant. You're in."

XXX_XXX_XXX

**SSV Passchendaele, Mid Deck, Combat Information Center**

Ten crew members were lined up next to the circular command post. All dressed in Alliance blues, they saluted the moment Ryan and Lily came in through the airlock. The door hissed behind Ryan as he gathered his first impression. Hackett wasn't kidding when he said 'skeleton crew'. Ryan doubted he could keep a ship properly operational with so few people, but that was the price of secrecy.

They were all human volunteers who served with the Alliance in some or other capacity. A heterogeneous group of young and old, male and female and three different ethnicities. _They look like some kind of happy family on one of those overly politically correct ads._ Ironically, there was nothing politically correct about this mission. At all.

The CIC itself was rather small. In the center was a command post where the Captain could issue orders throughout the ship and maintain contact with the rest of the galaxy. Further back, to Ryan's right, was the galaxy map. Its interface lit up the entire room and shimmered in the steel-plated floor. Ryan looked to his left, seeing a ramp that led up to the bridge. Orange holographic interfaces were lined against the walls.

"At ease," Ryan finally said. He liked to make them stand at attention for a bit. It was good to make them sweat. The crew relaxed, folding their hands behind their backs. "I assume you have all been briefed. Our mission is simple: stop the batarians from enslaving our fellow humans. This mission will be dangerous. I need every single one of you to follow my orders without hesitation, even if that puts you or anyone else at risk. I will not tolerate insubordination. And since I do not think this ship has a brig, unnecessary elements will be thrown out of the airlock. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" they shouted without flinching. Ryan nodded approvingly. He wouldn't actually throw any crew member out of the airlock since that went against Alliance regulations, but it was more a manner of speech.

"Good," he continued. "Now, since this is a skeleton crew you will all have to pick up the pace. In other words, I have no time for slackers and neither do the people who rely on us. You will often have to work double shifts, triple if need be. Since you all volunteered, I assume you knew this was going to happen. If you have any complaints about the workload, keep them bottled up because I don't want to hear it. When this mission's over, you can go and see a fancy psychiatrist on the Citadel and cry him a river. In the meantime, you must do your job. "

Some of the crew members nodded reassuringly, which put Ryan's mind at ease. He was glad to see they were professionals. Ryan took another look at the people under his command, realizing they were all complete strangers except for two near-identical looking guys in their early twenties.  
"As I am your CO, I will have to know every one of you by name. I want your name, rank and function, starting from the left." He pointed at an old man who was standing on the far end. He was bald save for a couple strands of white hair that were combed across his spotted skull.

"Navigator Elvis Jenkins," he croaked. "Proud to serve once more, sir." His face was battle-hardened, that much Ryan could see. He far exceeded the age required for retirement. If anything, he would not lack for experience.

"General Medical Officer Lassana Andurutu," a middle-aged ebony-skinned woman continued. She had long brown braids and a sympathetic face despite her broad mouth and oversized nose.

Next up was an older gentleman. He was also balding, like Jenkins, though he had considerably more hair left to lose. His face was stern, which Ryan appreciated. When he spoke, he did so in a surprisingly high voice that did not match his gruff posterior at all. "Roy Duncan, engineer, head of maintenance and repairs."

"Lisa Bitoni. Maintenance, cooking, and jane-of-all-trades." Lisa was a woman in her early thirties, not at all unattractive. To Ryan's shame, his eyes were unavoidably drawn to her voluminous chest. Her black hair was bound tightly in a bun behind her head, which reminded him of Ashley.

"Maya Torres. Maintenance, repairs and procurement specialist." Maya seemed about the same age as Lisa, although she was much less pleasant to look at. Her thin, brown hair was bound in a long tail and her slender figure and short stature made it look as if she could be broken in half just by poking her. As long as they did their job, though, Ryan didn't care what they looked like.

"Gunnery and Armory maintenance," a man in his late forties saluted when Ryan passed by. "Logan Stryker, sir. I'll keep your weapons clean and functioning."

"I see." Ryan studied him from up close. He was a corpulent, double-chinned man who smelled of aftershave. His black hair was combed back sleekly, but his brown eyes were honest and brave.

"Important job you got there," Ryan told him. "If our weapons jam due to ill maintenance, there's blood on your hands. You can live with that?"

"I can, sir. All part of the job," he answered, his soft pockmarked cheeks trembling.

"Good. And how about you?" Ryan continued, addressing a small girl of Asian descent who stood next to Stryker."

"Flight Lieutenant Cassidy Nakata, sir," she answered, her dark eyes unflinching. With the highlights in her raven hair, she didn't look a day older than fifteen.

"You look like you belong on a merry-go-round, not an Alliance frigate." It was harsh, but Ryan was never known for mincing words. If it upset her though, she didn't let him notice. Ryan approved. He liked pushing people's buttons to see how they reacted. It often said a lot about people. As soft and breakable as she looked, with her fine nose and flat chest, either Cassidy was very thick-skinned or she was a consummate professional.

"I am capable, sir," she spoke with radiating confidence. Ryan gave her a slight nod.

"Let's hope so. I don't want to end up in a black hole because you're distracted by the latest episode of 'Pyjaks and ponies'." To his surprise, a slight grin formed around the edges of her mouth. "Did I say something funny? Do you think me a comedian, flight lieutenant?"

"'Pyjaks and ponies' is actually a very good show, sir."

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, sir. Wouldn't dream of it, sir." If her face wasn't as straight as it was, Ryan would have believed she was joking.

"Then stop talking or I'll see to it you'll be driving a cab for a krogan porn star for the rest of your days."

"Aye aye, sir." Her mouth straightened. Behind him, he could hear Lily sigh. No doubt she didn't approve of his method to get to know the crew. No surprise there, she was a big old softie. Ryan was quite certain she'd top off at lieutenant-commander with an attitude like that.

Next up were the two identical guys Ryan knew from somewhere. As he halted before them, it dawned on him. He remembered their identical haircuts, parted in the middle and tucked behind the ears. Their spotted skin, evidence of bad diets, their massive forearms next to their pot bellies,… It gave them an almost comical appearance.

"Didn't I throw the two of you in the brig once?"

The one of his left answered. "You did, sir. Insubordination, sir."

"Yes, I recall it. What was it you called me?" He remembered all too well, but wanted to hear them say it.

"Eh…." They were obviously reluctant to answer. Ryan grinned.

"Permission to speak freely," he said with a nod.

"A hardass, sir," the one on the right answered.

"That's it. If I remember correctly, Thomas Ghost and Alan Ghost? Gunners?"

"Yes, sir," the one on the left answered forcefully with an odd touch of pride. "I'm Private Thomas Ghost. My brother and I man the turrets."

"We are the best, sir," Alan Ghost assured him. Ryan couldn't deny it. As odd as they looked, they had serious skills. They had served under Ryan, XO at the time on the SSV Trafalgar. They took down enemy fighters as if they were squashing flies on a window. One by one, calm and calculated, striking hard and fierce.

"Just remember what I said earlier about insubordination and this ship not having a brig." Last person in the line-up was a man about Ryan's age. His light brown skin and unkempt black curls immediately made him stand out from the rest. He seemed nervous; undoubtedly a byproduct of Ryan's 'socializing'.

"Power and propulsion engineer Frank Gordnard," he said with a voice that slightly shook. "Honored to finally serve under you, Captain Zamora."

_Is it fear or admiration that makes him nervous?_ Ryan looked him deep in the eyes, enjoying the effects of his own unnerving stare. After a while, Ryan took a couple of steps back.

"The ship departs tomorrow," he continued, addressing all of the crew. "Say goodbye to your loved ones, or your wet nurse," he added, eyeing Cassidy, "but be discreet. Crew dismissed."

They scattered, most of them tending to their duties or preparing their stations for the coming mission. Ryan stepped into the command post, getting a feel of the ship. Lily followed him suit.

"That went… well?" Lily said. Ryan didn't know if it was a statement or a question.

"They'll do," he admitted. "Some of them have lots of experience."

"Some have too much experience and too many years of service." Her voice was reduced to a whisper. It seemed to concern her, but Ryan shrugged.

"Maybe. But at least that means they're loyal. We have seasoned veterans and young servicemen who will be eager to prove themselves."

"Like the pilot?" Lily asked shaking her head as Ryan tapped on a few holo-buttons to test the ship's communications. "Was it really necessary to be so critical of her?"

"I said the crew would do, didn't I?" _Two minutes in, and already she's criticizing me_.

"It was a personal attack. Uncalled for." As endearing as Lily's empathy could be, right now it was just downright pissing him off.

"Stop questioning me, Lilith. I'm your CO as well, don't forget that." He pointed at the stars on his uniform.

"I won't. Sir," she quickly added, saluting before storming off.


	3. Chapter 3 - The ex-N7 Operative

_**SSV Passchendaele, Upper Deck**_

The smell of roast pork filled the mess. It was a nice change from the smell of bleach, old metal and eezo that usually hung around the ship. Ryan and Lily sat themselves down at the long steel table where Lisa had prepared their first official lunch of the mission. As per Lily's instructions, Ryan was given huge portions, enough to satiate his appetite.

The crew had done an excellent job preparing the ship for the task ahead. Ryan had insisted they all dine together aboard the Passchendaele, as a sort of bonding exercise. The crew was happily chatting among themselves, but Lily gave Ryan a worried look.

"Do you know where we're going?" she asked him. They had a ship, a mission and a crew, but they needed fighters. Warriors. As of yet, they had not come up with suitable candidates.

"I'm not sure," Ryan admitted. "I'd rather not recruit any mercs. Anyone who joins us has to do so out of conviction."

"I agree." Lily nodded. "But who? Any of your old N7-buddies who can help us out maybe?"

"I considered that. But Mark is cleaning out pockets of geth along the Veil, Anthony almost lost his arm on his last mission and Mary is still undergoing psych evals after encountering that thresher maw. It didn't go well for her and her team. Julie is handling some biotic maniac who's running a cult. And Mike, Jason and Freddy are chasing some serial killer all over Alliance Space."

Lily chewed on her meat for a bit. She stared at the ceiling, but the faraway look in her eyes made it seem as if she was staring across time and space. When she finally swallowed she looked at Ryan again. "There's always… But no, that wouldn't work," she added, backing out of her statement as soon as she said it.

"Who?"

"Nothing, leave it, you'll never…"

"Come on, spit it out," Ryan interrupted her.

"Well," Lily began, "the ideal candidate is someone who is loyal to humanity, has a considerable skill set and would be willing to join us, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Ryan nodded before taking a sip of sparkling water.

"Well, we know someone exactly like that. Only… We haven't seen him for quite some time, and he…"

Ryan slammed his glass down on the table, cutting Lily off. Drops of water flew all over the place and the crew's chattering halted to a mumble. "I don't like where you're going with this."

"Come on, he'd be perfect," Lily insisted.

"Wilson?" Ryan snorted. "He's a traitor and a junkie and I'd rather rip his head off than let him aboard my ship!" The crew almost jumped out of their seats and cleared out, sensing that their captain was about to enter one of his already notorious bad moods.

"You know what he is capable of! Tell me the truth, have you ever seen a better marksman than him?"

"No," Ryan admitted, "but that won't do him or us much good when he's snorting red sand."

"Maybe he changed?" Lily offered with a slight shrug that was much too casual to be genuine. It seemed like she was saying what she wanted to believe, not what she actually thought.

"Once a junkie, always a junkie. You should know that about him." He slammed his elbow on the table and pointed at her. "You of all people."

"We could at least try and find him," she argued despite the desperation dripping off her face and voice. "If he's still addicted or no longer capable, then we'll know that too!" Lily's sentence ended in a high-pitched tone, which Ryan knew meant she was getting excited. Much too excited.

"I swear to the stars, Lilith, if this is a trick of yours to get back…"

"It isn't!" Lily intervened, cutting Ryan off before he could finish his sentence. He knew she understood what he meant by it, and he was pleased the message was loud and clear.

Ryan got up from the table. He started pacing around the room with his hands clasped behind his back. "I wish you hadn't brought him up. The less that son of a bitch stains my thoughts the better."

"You're the one who told me to 'spit it out'."

Ryan sat himself back down again, sighing deeply. "I don't even know where he is," he said, trying to come up with excuses.

"The Shadow Broker will know. That information shouldn't be hard to come by."

"I don't trust that guy. I dislike doing dealings with the Broker and his agents. No good can ever come of it. He's manipulative and only reveals what he wants to reveal."

"He's a businessman, Captain," Lily reminded him. "Giving out misinformation would be bad for business."

Ryan averted his eyes. He clearly didn't like the idea, but he was struggling to come up with alternatives. "Fine," he finally gave in. "Let's contact the Broker."

XXX_XXX_XXX

**SSV Passchendaele, Combat Information Center, Command post**

"It's not every day the Alliance contacts the Shadow Broker for help, Earth-clan," Barla Von breathed through the comm channel. Ryan tapped his fingers on the steel plating next to the orange holographic interface. The volus' voice sounded way too intrigued for his liking and it made him nervous and ill-tempered.

"It's got nothing to do with official Alliance business," Lily assured him, but the Broker agent let out something that resembled a derisive snort.

"I'm sure," he said in a tone that sounded so mocking that Ryan wished he could reach through the comm channel and rip the little round alien's suit apart. Watching a volus explode was funny, in a morbid way. "But still, I am here to sell information, not question the motives of you or your government. What can I help you with, Captain Zamora?"

Ryan was not at all surprised the volus knew him by name and rank. These people dealt in information, and getting into the database of Alliance personnel was an easy job for a skilled hacker. Still, it unsettled him. But he didn't let it show. "I am looking for… an _Earth-clan_," Ryan replied, making a mockery of the volus' manner of speech. "A former Alliance soldier and N7-Operative. Goes by the name of Jamie Wilson. We need to know where he is."

"I see," Barla Von hissed through his helmet. "First, let's talk payment. You may choose to pay in credits, or by telling me what you need him for."

"What's to stop me from lying?" Ryan asked.

"I will know. The Earth-clan's faces are like open books," the volus threatened. "Lie to me, and you will never be able to use our services again."

"How many credits?" Lily intervened quickly, trying to keep things businesslike.

"10,000," was Barla Von's short answer. Ryan let out a short laugh.

"Good one, _vol-clan_. I'm not paying 10,000 creds to find that crackhead." Ryan was about to disconnect when she slapped his wrist like a mother disciplining a greedy child.

"Ryan, I mean Captain… Don't! Sir." She stumbled over her words, realizing that she might have gone a bit too far.

Ryan looked at his sister's hand on his, and pulled away. "If you weren't my sister, that could get you court-martialed. And I'm not, I repeat, _not_, going to pay 10,000 credits to find him. We don't have that kind of money available. End of discussion."

"Let me pay it," Lily begged. "I have some funds of my own."

Before Ryan could protest, Lily tapped some buttons on her omni-tool. At the other end of the line, Ryan heard a bleeping sound that was barely audible.

"The transaction has been completed," Barla Von revealed.

"Lily, that was a lot of money," Ryan said in hushed voice. "Are you sure you don't need it?"

"We need Jamie. Besides, I have plenty of money. I save my salary, unlike you."

Ryan shook his head, before diverting his attention back to the volus. "Right, you've got the credits. Now cough it up, short stuff. Or are you going to bleed us dry some more?"

"A deal was made," Barla Von stated, not letting Ryan's derogatory remarks get to him. "You will find Jamie Wilson on Omega."

_Omega. I should've known. The place where all the scum of the universe floats to the surface_.

"Omega is a big place," Ryan answered. "Can you be more specific? And don't ask for more credits, you pot-bellied leech." He heard Lily sigh next to him. She didn't approve of his uncivilized behavior, but Ryan was never one to utter disingenuous assertions.

"According to my sources, he travels around the station quite a bit. He's an employee of Aria T'Loak."

"There you have it, Lilith," Ryan said. "He's working for a criminal warlord. What did I tell you?" Lily didn't reply.

"When you get to Omega, go to Afterlife," Barla Von continued. "Request an audience with Miss T'Loak. She will know the rest. And this bit of information I will give to you for free, Earth-Clan: if you are as rude to her as you were to me, you will not leave that club alive."

"We'll see about that," Ryan replied, closing the comm channel with a press of the button.

He pressed two different buttons on the holo-interface, opening up communications with Navigator Jenkins and Cassidy, the pilot.

"Set course for Omega, Nakata. Jenkins, make sure she doesn't fly the ship into a black hole." After an affirmative answer from his crew, he turned his attention back to his sister. He leaned against the command post, folding his arms over his chest.

"You seem pretty eager to see Wilson again," he remarked. Lily folded her arms over her chest as well.

"How so?" She tried to keep her face as neutral as possible, but Ryan spotted the squint in her eyes.

"First of all I'm surprised you would ever _want_ to see him again, after what he did to us."

"The past is the past."

"Not to me. Don't tell me you have forgiven him?"

"Not really, no. But it has been a long time. Long enough to bury our grudges and focus on helping humanity."

Ryan shook his head and turned away from her. "Dismissed, Lieutenant. Hopefully your naïveté won't cost us."

_XXX_XXX_XXX_

**Omega, transport depot**

Ryan had never been good at describing the scenery, but he was pretty pleased with his description of Omega. 'Fucking shithole' was about as close to the reality as you could get. Trying to find your way was basically impossible with all the narrow corridors, odd twists and turns and staircases leading to nowhere. The unpleasant orange hue from the lighting made it look like it was always dawn, and Ryan wasn't exactly a morning person. But what was even worse was the population. Everywhere you turned there were vorcha looking to pick a fight, drunken batarians throwing racist insults, angry krogan whining about the genophage, annoying hanar preaching their crazy religion or elcor swindlers trying to rip you off. Normally Ryan would have welcomed the sight of asari prostitutes, but since he was on duty they were more of a distraction than anything else.

"I'm not at all surprised Wilson chose this place to hide," Ryan remarked, stepping over the limp body of a hanar who had probably overdone it on the mindfish. Lily chose to walk around it. A turian in combat armor holding a Viper sniper rifle walked over and dragged it away, shaking his head in disgust. "You get many of those around here?" Ryan asked the turian. He wasn't sure if he smiled at his question, it was hard to tell with the birds.

"You must be new here," the turian replied. He chucked the hanar's body over the side of the transport depot. Ryan heard Lily gasp next to him, but she had enough sense not to let her distress show. "I'm Gavorn," he continued, extending his hand. Ryan looked at it for a second before shaking it. "I clean up the streets for Aria. This depot leads directly to Afterlife, she doesn't want it clogged with drug addicts."

"Amen to that," Ryan answered. "I'm all for chucking addicts over the side."

"Did you say 'Aria'?" Lily chimed in. This time, the turian chuckled.

"Sure did. Don't tell me you haven't heard of her."

"We have," Lily said with an indignant undertone in her voice. "We are looking for her, in fact. Business matters."

"Is that so?" Gavorn scratched his temple with the barrel of his Viper. "Well, you'll find her in Afterlife. If you get in. And if she'll see you."

"Why would she not?" Lily inquired.

"Look, humans…" Gavorn sighed, but remained friendly. Ryan suspected he was amused by their ignorance. "Unless you are of interest to Aria, she has better things to do. She has a lot of enemies and a lot of people trying to become her friends. That's just the way it is on Omega."

"Well, we won't see her by standing around here," Ryan stated. "Thanks for the help… Gavorn, was it?" Ryan extended his hand this time. The turian did not hesitate to answer the gesture.

"Preitor Gavorn. You two seem okay. Tell Afterlife's bouncer my name, and I'm pretty sure he'll let you in. He owes me a favor or two from when I literally got those vorcha blackmailers off his back. Just remind him of me and my tricks."

"Appreciate it." Ryan gave power to his words with a nod and they moved on.

The entrance to Afterlife turned out to be right around the corner. An elcor bouncer imposingly stood in front of a queue that was contained by red velvet ropes. It was made up of mostly aliens, but there were quite a few humans as well. Mostly boys and girls in their early twenties, looking for a wild night out, looking to forget their everyday lives. Whether it was grinding against the backside of an asari dancer or drinking vorcha mead until you puked your guts out, it was probably a much needed change from the rut of their daily jobs. Ryan wondered what had possessed these people to come to Omega. Were they colony kids whose prospects had faltered? Earthlings who had grown tired of city life? He couldn't imagine anyone would live here voluntarily unless they were xenophiles or criminals.

Having no intention to wait in line, Ryan walked straight past the ropes towards the main entrance which was heavily guarded by batarians. When they saw him approach, they aimed their Eviscerator shotguns at him but didn't say a word. The bayonets under the barrels shimmered in the orange glow. Ryan mock-apologetically held up his arms. Their attempt to hold him back was laughable. Ryan knew he could warp the batarian's armour and unleash a biotic knockback throw to create a biotic explosion without breaking a sweat; but starting a fight on Omega wasn't what he had come for.

"I'm just trying to get in, guys." Behind him, the elcor turned around and slowly walked over to him on his four massive legs.

"Intimidating," the elcor stated in his boring, monotone voice, "the queue starts back there." It swung its head to the side towards the people who were waiting to get in.

"We have business with Aria," Lily tried, but the elcor flapped its nose as if it was laughing.

"Condescendingly: I'm sure you do, human. Mockingly: you and everybody else waiting to get in."

"Look, friend, we're not here to cause a fuss," Lily continued. "We need to ask her something important."

"Trust me," Ryan continued, "we don't want to enter that stinkhole for our own amusement, pal."

"Dismissive: get lost, then."

"I've been lost for two hours, I have no intention to start again. Besides, Preitor Gavorn told me I could come in. Something about him, you, vorcha and Gavorn's tricks."

The elcor stared at him. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking, but his reply soon erased all doubt. "Reluctantly: fine, you can go in. Warning: just this once, though."

The door hissed open and Ryan and Lily entered much to the dismay of the people still waiting in line. Ignoring the jeers behind them, they walked through the round tunnel where bunches of patrons were lined up against the walls.

"Damn elcor. He should really cut down on the adverbs, it's just plain annoying." Taking a good look around, Ryan noticed Afterlife's patrons. "Lots of aliens here." He saw asari young and old sipping cocktails. Palefaced turians arguing about what was the best way to take down an Armiger Legionnaire. Krogan without clan or kin boasting how many sons they had fathered.

"What did you expect? This isn't Alliance Space," Lily mumbled. Ryan had to lean in to understand her. The music coming from Afterlife's main hall was growing louder and louder. Already he could feel the beat vibrate through his body.

A shady salarian approached Ryan from behind, putting his hand on his shoulder. Years of rigorous combat training kicked in the moment the alien made contact. Ryan snatched the salarian's wrist, twisted it and swept his legs from underneath him with a simple kick. The unknown assailant hit the floor with a muffled thud. Ryan's hands flared up in a blue biotic haze and he held it above the alien's head. Lily was surprised, but held her omni-tool at the ready just the same, to make sure neither her brother or the salarian did something stupid.

"What!?" Ryan shouted. The salarian's eyes grew large and he started panicking. He shook his head from side to side and started talking faster than anything Ryan or Lily had ever heard.

"Please, please, no. Don't hurt me, please. Just wondering, saw you out here. Never seen before, thought you were new customers. Wanted to offer you something, nothing more. Please, meant no harm, please."

"Let him go, Capt… Ryan," Lily said. Her omni-tool faded and she was ready to drop the matter, but her brother would hear none of it.

"What did you want to offer?" he asked.

"Many come here to have a good time, yes. A good time is something I can offer. Wanted to offer you some Hallex. Very costly, but for you I can make an exception. Free sample, as gesture of good will. Please," the salarian rambled, but Ryan wasn't happy with his answer. He took the salarian by the collar and effortlessly lifted him up into the air with one hand before dropping him on his feet.  
"Get out of my face before I shove that shit back up through your cloaca," he snarled. Happy to oblige, the salarian made himself scarce. Ryan shook his head. "Damn drug dealers. I should've done what Gavorn did and tossed him into an abyss."

"Omega has no laws or rules like we do, Ryan. I guess he can deal in whatever he wants, as long as he gives Aria a cut of his profits."

"I'm starting to like this plan of yours less and less. These aren't the kind of people I want to deal with."

"I'm guessing we're going to have to deal with a lot worse before this is over." Lily sighed. "Maybe I should talk to Aria?"

"What makes you say that?" _Are you implying something, little girl? _

"You seem a bit… flammable. Doesn't matter. All I'm saying is I want this to go well. Remember what Barla Von said, you don't want to piss her off."

"Who cared what that pot-bellied swindler thinks?"

"I do." Lily stopped and put her hand on Ryan's shoulder. Unlike the salarian, she didn't end up with her back on the floor, but she looked deep into her brother's eyes. "I just want this to go well. That's all. We've spent too much time, money and effort already to let this go to waste. We have to find Jamie, and only Aria can point us at him." Ryan considered it for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Fine, if that's what you want. Then at least you can't say I sabotaged your plan. You talk to her, but I'm staying with you, in case things go south."

Lily smiled and resumed walking with a noticeable spring in her step. She always liked approval, and _Ryan's_ approval, which he handed out sparingly, meant more to her than anyone else's.

As soon as they entered the main room, they were hit right in the face by the exhilarating deep bass of 'Kickback', the latest hit of Blueball'D J, the turntable biotic. Right in front of them was an enormous pink holographic pillar, around which asari maidens were dancing enthusiastically on an elevated circular platform. They were being watched closely by some of the patrons, who occasionally tipped their favorites with a quick tap on their omni-tool. Dozens of other people were also dancing wildly, carelessly spilling their drinks as their arms flailed about. Many cross-specied lovers could be seen making out on the dance floor, at the tables or even at the bar counter on the right. Much to Ryan's surprise, he saw a female turian and a young human who couldn't be much older than 17 passionately kissing each other, their arms wrapped tightly around their lover. The kid had a huge purple tattoo on his face that matched his girlfriend's.

"Love knows no boundaries, huh?" Lily remarked, noticing how Ryan raised an eyebrow at the spectacle.

"I guess not." It wasn't uncommon for someone to fall in love with an alien, Ryan himself found most asari pleasant to look at, but he had never seen a human with a female bird before. The lingering animosity after First Contact and the turian militaristic lifestyle made relationships between humans and turians a rare sight. And then there was the suspicion that the turians liked to hide their women. You could sometimes travel across the entire Citadel and never see a single one of them.

It wasn't hard to figure out where Aria was, even amongst the chaos. Past the pink column, there were two sets of stairs, guarded by a turian on the left and a batarian on the right. They took the stairs on the left-hand side, which led them to a VIP-area of some sorts. It was heavily guarded by a bunch of turians with Avenger and Vindicator battle rifles. At the top of another short set of stairs sat one of the most beautiful asari matriarchs Ryan had ever seen. She had a body that rivaled that of Athame herself: wide hips, slim waist, long legs and big, round breasts packed tightly in a small white jacket with a high collar. Her skin tone had a slight purple hue and was decorated by subtle, stylish tattoos. She radiated power and authority. She clearly was not a woman to be fucked with. What a shame.

As soon as Ryan and Lily approached, they were swarmed by the turians guarding her. Ryan wanted to grab for the Paladin at his hip, but Lily stopped him. One of the turians took a scan with his omni-tool.

"If this is about weapons," Ryan began, "don't bother. I'm a biotic and could rip you to shreds without having to fire my gun once." Lily shook her head, already regretting taking Ryan along. At the top of the stairs, Aria laughed.

"Standard procedure, human. No scan, no talk." Her voice was surprisingly silent. "But I admire your confidence." Aria T'Loak stood upright, and now Ryan noticed how broad her shoulders were. She took a couple of steps down. "It's not every day we get a visit from an Alliance Captain." She looked into Ryan's eyes, to see what reaction she got out of him. All Ryan did was grin. The turians backed down, letting Ryan and Lily keep their Paladin and Talon.

"News travels fast around here."

"Don't think for a single solitary second that I don't know everything about anyone who sets foot on _my_ station."

"We're not here on Alliance business, I can assure you," Ryan lied with as straight a poker face as he could muster. And it was a good one. Aria seemed almost inclined to believe him.

"Then what are you here for?" She took the stairs back up. Ryan admired her rear as she elegantly took her seat back. She motioned for Ryan and Lily to come and sit to her right. Lily cleared her throat and answered in her brother's stead.

"We came to find someone," Lily truthfully said. "We paid Barla Von and he said we could find him here."

"Barla Von, that little scoundrel?" The asari grinned, apparently amused by the situation. "Of all the Shadow Broker's agents you used that tiny round-bellied buffoon? He's a financial genius, but that's exactly why I wouldn't trust him with a single solitary credit of mine." Aria crossed her legs. Ryan didn't mind having agreed to shut his mouth during the negotiation. It gave him lots of opportunities to admire the view. "Anyway, back to business. Who are you looking for?"

"We were told he's an agent of yours. Jamie Wilson."

"Jamie?" Aria smiled. The devilish twinkle in her eyes suggested they were indeed acquainted. "Sure, I know him. One of my best. If not the best. What do you want with him? You're not here to kill him, I hope."

"We need his help," Lily confessed. Ryan noticed in his sister's body language she was nervous. He didn't blame her, Aria was an intimidating woman.

"With what?"

"A mission."

"I thought your Captain – or should I say _brother_- said that this wasn't Alliance business?"

"It's not." Aria piled on the pressure but despite Lily's apparent nerves she seemed to be holding her own. She kept her answers short and to the point, not allowing her voice to crack or waiver.

Aria grinned. "Oh, I get it. Unofficial Alliance business, huh?"

"I can't say anything about that."

"It's all right, sugarpops. I understand. But the way I see it, you come into my house, asking me to do you a favor. What's in it for me?"

"We would both owe you a great personal debt of gratitude."

"Hmm," Aria pondered. The flicker in her eyes was a sign of greed. Ryan knew it all too well. Clearly she was seeing the benefits of an Alliance Captain and Lieutenant owing her a favor. "Mardo," she called out at the turian who had scanned Ryan and Lily earlier, "summon Jamie. Tell him I need him." The turian started pressing holo-buttons on his omni-tool and Aria shifted her focus back to her human visitors.

"Now, tell me where you know him from."

"We went to school together when we were kids," Lily replied. It wasn't a lie. Ryan didn't like Lily handing out private details from their past, but he had agreed to keep his mouth shut. "Astrodome Military School, one of the finest schools on Earth. Graduation means enlisting with the Alliance, basically. The better your results, the higher the rank you start with. Jamie and Ryan both entered as Gunnery Chiefs, the highest possible at that age. He also served for the N7's with my brother."

"Yes, he told me about that. He also told me he got kicked out, but never told me why."

"He screwed up," Lily revealed. "Big time. He got his entire squad killed, except for Ryan."

"What happened?" Aria asked out of interest. Whether it was genuine or not, Ryan couldn't tell. He wouldn't mind laying out the details for Aria, so she could see the kind of men she employed, but Ryan wasn't sure if she'd care one way or the other.

"You needed me, Aria?" a familiar voice said, dripping with its typical Cockney accent. Ryan's heart skipped a beat when he recognized him, and judging by his sister's reaction, hers skipped several. He had changed a lot over the years, though, but his twinkling blue eyes were unmistakable. His hair was longer and combed back so tightly his head looked like a brown snooker ball. He had grown a rather large, carefully groomed beard that hid most of his lower face. It was hard to see the smooth-skinned, baby-faced N7 with a buzzcut underneath all that hair, but he looked a lot more mature and a lot better built than back in the day. But what was most important to Ryan: he looked clean.

"These people claim to know you," the asari matriarch said, waving at Ryan and Lily. Ryan felt his fist clench tight as his anger resurfaced. He wanted to do nothing more than slap a singularity on Wilson's ass, but much to his surprise he managed to contain himself. It got worse when Jamie recognized them. A slight smile crept up the man's face. To Ryan's surprise he looked pleased to see them. The feeling wasn't mutual. The urge to punch him in the face and wipe away that stupid grin was getting stronger and stronger with every passing second.

"I sure do," Jamie replied. "It's wonderful seeing you again, Lily. And… Ryan."

"Charmed," Ryan snarled. Lily was at a loss for words. She was just staring at him, in his black and red Colossus armor. Her schoolgirl behavior was awkward and pitiful. He couldn't begin to guess what she was thinking right now; and for some reason, he didn't really want to know.

"Seems like they need your help," Aria continued.

"Oh?" Jamie answered, sounding intrigued. Ryan noticed the enormous sniper rifle bound to Jamie's back. One of Wilson's own design, no doubt. He always liked modifying and building his own guns. Jamie walked up the stairs that led to Aria's couch. He took the giant rifle off of his back. Ryan instinctively wanted to flare up his biotics, but realized that Wilson couldn't sit down with that thing strapped to him. Jamie sat himself down, in between Aria and Lily. And he did not like the kind of looks his sister was throwing the former N7.

_I hope I'm just imagining this…_

"Well, let's hear it, then." . Aria grinned as Jamie was seated. "I understand it's some kind of… _unofficial mission_ for the Alliance?"

"I told you I can't…" Lily began, but Aria cut her off.

"Look, sweet cheeks. You come on _my_ station, taking up _my_ time, trying to steal one of _my_ top employees. I want full disclosure and if you disagree, you can fuck right off. Am I making myself clear?" Aria's voice grew more forceful with every word and Ryan had to bite his tongue to stop himself from answering.

"I… I… But… You said you understood I couldn't talk about it… and… you…" Lily stammered.

"I changed my mind," was Aria's simple explanation.

"You're making her nervous, Aria," Jamie intervened. "Mardo," he motioned, addressing the turian head of security, "take your men and go. We can take care of ourselves for a minute. And clear out the VIP." Mardo waited for a slight nod from Aria before executing their orders. Jamie commanding her security showed he had some measure of authority, but Aria was still very much in control. The team of turians and batarians cleared out, but not before telling the guests seated at the tables at the bottom of the stairs to get out. When it was just the four of them, Jamie started talking again. "Whatever you've got to say will stay between the four of us," he assured. "Aria has no quarrel with the Alliance and she's great at keeping secrets. Right, Aria?"

"Oh, absolutely." She grinned, making Ryan doubt whether she was mocking them or not. "I have no interest in starting a galactic war, humans. I'm not that bored. Omega is my life, I don't care much about the rest of the galaxy."

"Then why this full disclosure bullshit?" Ryan answered, unable to keep his mouth shut any longer.

"You never know when this intel might come in handy. And I hate it when people talk behind my back."

_Fair enough_, Ryan thought. He didn't like it, but he understood her logic. In her position, he would want the same. And now was not the time to have a stick up one's ass. "All right. Tell them, Lily." His sister nodded and started explaining.

"We're tracking down some batarians who have been attacking human colonies," Lily elaborated without giving away too much information. "Pirate and slaver activity have increased drastically and we have to find out why and put a stop to it."

"I see." Aria nodded, agreeing with Lily's statement. "It's true that the batarians are rowdier than usual. My guess is you want to keep this hidden to protect the already volatile peace between the Alliance and Hegemony right?" She looked at Lily and smiled. "It's okay, you don't have to answer that. It's probably true. So you're going to hunt down space pirates, are you? How exciting." Her tone was mocking, but to Ryan's surprise not unsympathetic. "And you want my best operative to accompany you?"

"We need a team, we can't do it on our own," Lily admitted. "We know what Jamie is capable of and because of our shared history he seemed like a logical choice."

"I see." Aria nodded once again.

"There is one thing, though," Ryan intervened, breaking silence. "How do we know you're clean, Wilson?" Ryan sat up straight, letting his piercing gaze fall over Jamie. He didn't respond, but stared at the ground, avoiding Ryan's stare. It was shame, the captain realized, which pleased him. Seeing that he didn't answer for himself, Aria replied on Jamie's behalf.

"Do I look like the kind of asari who employs drug addicts, Captain Zamora?" Aria said. The mention of Ryan's rank and title made Jamie look up again. _That's right, you son of a bitch. Captain Zamora. Something you'll never be._ "Whatever Jamie might have done in the past, he is rid of it now, I can assure you. I dislike drug addicts."

"Fancy that, coming from the foremost drug pusher in the Terminus Systems."

"Why, Captain," Aria replied, "flattering me isn't going to make this negotiation go any easier." She grinned, and Ryan had trouble containing a smile of his own. For a warlord, she was all right. "It's true, I take advantage of them. Why shouldn't I? They're weak, and their weakness is my wealth. That doesn't mean I respect them. I do respect Jamie however, that is out of the question."

Ryan pondered the matter. Earning Aria T'Loak's respect didn't seem like an easy feat.

"And because I respect Jamie," Aria continued, I will allow him to make this decision for himself."

All eyes went out to the bearded operative. Jamie looked at his right pectoral, where once the N7 emblem had proudly shimmered. He softly stroked his hairy left cheek with his index finger as he pondered the issue. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from the couch and grabbed his rifle.

"I can shoot the cock off a pyjak from miles off," Jamie said, looking through his scope. "It always came natural to me… Like second nature."

"Shooting cocks off pyjaks is like second nature to you?" Ryan intervened, his eyebrows rising while making fun of Jamie's statement. Lily jabbed her elbow into his side. "Hey, everybody needs a hobby." Ryan smiled, but Jamie went on as if nothing had happened.

"I've always been proud of my abilities. But I can't say that I've lived a life without regrets." Jamie lowered his rifle and stared at the Afterlife dance floor down below through the glass wall behind the couch. "My discharge from the Alliance has always haunted me. I know I can never get it all back, but… I would be honoured to fight for humanity once more." He swung the rifle over his back where it attached itself to the magnetic holders. "You've got me and my gun if you want it, Ryan. Lily. For whatever it's worth."

"How dramatic!" Aria exclaimed, clapping her hands. "That settles the matter, then. I'll be sad to see you go, Jamie. But I'm sure you'll be back when this is all over." Aria spawned her omni-tool and shouted a few orders. Within seconds, the place was crawling with security again, guaranteeing her safety. Ryan and Lily got up from the couch.

"Report to Docking Bay 48 Delta ASAP," Ryan commanded when Jamie approached him. "One footlocker of gear, plus any arms and armor you will require for shooting penises off primates. Clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Jamie saluted with a sense of pride, as if he was happy to serve under an Alliance Officer again.

"Don't salute, Wilson," Ryan reprimanded him. "You're not Alliance. Never will be again."

"Aye aye, sir."

"And don't call me sir."

"What should I call you, then?"

"Preferably, just don't talk to me. Lily, go with him, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid or run to his dealer for a re-up. I'll be aboard the Passchendaele."

"Understood, Captain," his sister answered. She seemed embarrassed by Ryan's bluntness, but there was nothing she could do. She knew that was one of the prices she had to pay for squeezing herself into this mission. Ryan walked away, giving the asari dancers near the holographic pillar another look before exiting Afterlife.

XXX_XXX_XXX

**Omega, Docking Bay 48 Delta**

Afterlife's music was still ringing in Ryan's ears when Lily and Jamie finally approached. It seemed like they were arguing about something. Ryan regretted leaving Lily alone with Jamie the second he walked out of the club. Not because he was worried; he didn't think Jamie would hurt Lily, and she could hold her own in a scrap. No, it wasn't that. The two of them had… a history. One he didn't want to see repeated.

"What took you so long?" Ryan asked the moment they were in earshot.

"Jamie insisted on… Well, just show him already." Lily sighed and Jamie put down his footlocker. Underneath his other arm, he held a small cage.

"What's that?"

"My cat," Jamie answered, showing Ryan the inside of the steel box. A ginger-white cat was softly purring, trying to get some sleep despite being rocked all over the place.

"It scratched me when we tried to catch it," Lily added, showing her brother her forearm. It wasn't exactly a nasty wound, but bigger than you'd expect from a small animal such as this.

"I can see it's a cat," Ryan replied. "What are you gonna do with it?"

"Take it with me, of course."

Ryan snorted derisively. "An attempt at humor, I presume?"

Jamie sighed and put the cage down. "Look, Ryan," he began, "Aria won't take it. And I'm not gonna have some batarian or krogan bodyguard watch over it. It'll probably be eaten before the day is out. And most turians are allergic to cats. Cats and birds, they just don't mix, you know?"

"I don't give a shit. That thing isn't coming aboard my ship."

"That's what I tried telling you," Lily intervened. "It's an Alliance frigate, Jamie. No place for pets."

"I need it. It's my anchor, Ryan. This cat was my responsibility project after rehab."

"Your what now?" Ryan asked, trying to resist the urge to bury his head in his hands and unleash a biotic throw on the fool. Another blood stain on the floor of the rusty Omega docks wouldn't matter much.

" I was given a wee kitten when I was trying to get clean. Present from my coach. This little bugger travelled all the way across the galaxy with me. It was my job to keep it alive, and in return it was supposed to give me responsibility over a living thing so I wouldn't get into my habit again."

"Wait, wait, wait," Ryan interrupted. "So you're telling me that in order to stay off the drugs, you need to take care of a cat?"

"That's how it works," Jamie nodded. "It was er… 'experimental' therapy. But it worked. At least so far."

_This is beyond ridiculous._ _But if it'll help him stay clean…_ "That thing stays in the crew cabin, understood? If it sets one foot… paw, whatever,… in the CIC, I will personally kick it out of the airlock. And you along with it." Despite Ryan's harsh words, Jamie's expression lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Cheers. I appreciate it. It won't bother you, I guarantee it." Jamie picked up the cage and his footlocker and proceeded into the ship.

"Jenkins, our chief navigator will give you a tour," Ryan said as he followed him into the airlock. The door hissed as they stepped into the CIC.

"Splendid," Jamie answered. "I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the crew."

"Don't disturb them when they're busy," Ryan warned him. "There'll be plenty of time to make smalltalk later. Oh, and one more thing."

"What's that?"

"Shave. And get a haircut. You look like an ape. Wouldn't want you to shoot your own cock off."

"Me neither," Lily agreed, before blushing when she saw Ryan's angry look.


End file.
